Monday, 30 January 2017

Book Review: Shattered by Kevin Hearne (Iron Druid #7)

For nearly two thousand
years, only one Druid has walked the Earth—Atticus O’Sullivan, the Iron
Druid, whose sharp wit and sharp sword have kept him alive as he’s been
pursued by a pantheon of hostile deities. Now he’s got company. Atticus’s
apprentice Granuaile is at last a full Druid herself. What’s more,
Atticus has defrosted an archdruid long ago frozen in time, a father
figure (of sorts) who now goes by the modern equivalent of his old Irish
name: Owen Kennedy. And Owen has some catching up to do.

Atticus
takes pleasure in the role reversal, as the student is now the teacher.
Between busting Atticus’s chops and trying to fathom a cell phone, Owen
must also learn English. For Atticus, the jury’s still out on whether
the wily old coot will be an asset in the epic battle with Norse god
Loki—or merely a pain in the arse.

But Atticus isn’t the only one
with daddy issues. Granuaile faces a great challenge: to exorcise a
sorcerer’s spirit that is possessing her father in India. Even with the
help of the witch Laksha, Granuaile may be facing a crushing defeat.

As
the trio of Druids deals with pestilence-spreading demons, bacon-loving
yeti, fierce flying foxes, and frenzied Fae, they’re hoping that this
time, three’s a charm.

My Review: Atticus has been reunited with Owen which is going to be a trial for
both of them after so many years have passed and Oberon is also having
to happily adapt to having a female hound around the place as a
companion to Granuaile. A message about her father from Laksha prompts
Granuaile to go solo with Orlaith on a mission to India to find him,
which Atticus is uneasy about but he has his own problems with the
police on his trail again over the death of a friend, Loki going after
Granuaile and an unknown traitor close to him.

Atticus is still
recovering from the shock of the gift that The Morrigan directed him
to-the frozen in time Archdruid who mentored Atticus. Owen has been
thawed out unscathed and has to adapt to a world of technology that
baffles and horrifies him as well as learning that he can't just swear
and grope women when he feels like it. While it is difficult to renew
their old bond, it does mean that they have three fully trained Druids
to fight their enemies. Atticus decides to limit Owen's contact with
Granuaile until he can teach him about modern laws and behaviour, and
seeks help from the local Packs to look after Owen while Atticus attends
to business.

"You think I'm being a Drama Hound don't you?"-Oberon

Granuaile
is delighted to have her own hound Orlaith to go with her to India.
Laksha tells her that her father was there on a dig and became possessed
by an evil spirit that summons demons and gives them local people as
hosts. Getting rid of the demon in each person is going to take too long
so an ice knife may be required if Granuaile can persuade the Yetis to
make one for her. Owen is also snooping around to find out who is
plotting with their enemies to betray them.

For me, this book
falls flat compared to the other books. I found most of Granuaile's solo
mission boring and I'm not sure what it was really adding to the
overall plot in the series. We know she is capable of being on her own
and tackling issues but other than giving her personal bonding time with
Orlaith, I saw no point to it. The only good part of her story was the
interlude when we met the wonderful Yeti pack who are related to
Manannan MacLir and also addicted to bacon and ice hockey! I so much
want to see more of them and found myself wishing that her mission was
to rescue avalanche victims with the Yeti Pack instead of trudging
around India looking for her father.

"There has to be a Poodles Anonymous meeting somewhere."-Oberon

I
did enjoy the addition of Owen which added extra humour to the book
with his foul mouth and inability to adapt to a new world. I loved his
interactions with the Pack, especially the bear wrestling scene where
Atticus manages to upset everyone! I think the addition of Owen is going
to be great for the series. It was also fun to have Orlaith come into
the story, both as hound to Granuaile and finally, a girlfriend for
Oberon! The Yeti Pack were fun and we need to see more of them, and if
Laksha is going to come back, I hope her storyline is a bit stronger.

While
I had issues with the India parts of the book, I did enjoy the traitor
storyline and I had correctly guessed who it was going to be. I enjoyed
the big reveal with civil war erupting in Brighid's domain when it all
kicks off. It was an exciting battle scene which the author writes
nicely as usual. I enjoyed the humour as I always do though I prefer the
Druids and hounds to be together instead of off doing seperate things
for so much of the book. There are still strong elements that keep you
enjoying the series but it isn't the best book in the series. Read November 2016.

It's a good enough book...just pales a bit in comparison to the standard of the others in the series. I never read druid books either as fantasy isn't my favourite genre but this is a mix of urban fantasy and mythology with modern settings and characters.

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